Twirls, Tutus, and Tea, Olivia Gray Turned Three!!
By now you know that Olivia is obsessed with ballet. The twirls every chance she gets, tip toes everywhere we go, plays and sleeps in tutus kind of obsessed. When her birthday was approaching it was no surprise she asked for a ballerina party that was pink and peach; her two favorite colors. Given my love of event planning and my passion for great style and darling, thoughtful details, I wanted to create something playful and sweet and really had the best time. It was so fun having her help me choose some of the elements.
Her beaded shrug was the first thing I bought for the party. It felt so special and I couldn't wait for my ballerina to wear it. I wanted her birthday to be beautiful, but also thoughtful; full of her favorite things and lots of fun. The hardest part was narrowing down my ideas. There were so many ways it could go. I loved the idea of having things that felt a bit more inspired by ballet instead of all literal and I am so happy with how it turned out.
The pink, peach, and white fringed garlands seemed liked they were made for us! Two of her favorite colors, and I loved the texture that that was reminiscent of tutus. I thought they'd be the perfect accessory for her large pink balloons. The paper lanterns were such a fun and whimsical decor element. The colors were spot on and the playful feel they brought was perfect.
She was up early on her birthday which meant Chris got to see her before work. It was perfect. She was so excited to see everything set up and ready for her. She danced her way right over with the sweetest little face. The only thing she asked for was a big pink house for all of her friends to play in. I was so thrilled when I was able to score this adorable (and newly discontinued!) one from our local Pottery Barn Store. She was in heaven. She was so happy she just started twirling. It was such a special morning.
We spent the day at the aquarium with Gigi, where all of her "Dory friends" wished her a happy birthday. She is so adorable how she does everyone's different voices! :) When Chris came home from work, the three of us went to dinner at Olivia's favorite restaurant and enjoyed a trip to the candy store for a treat since she doesn't like cake. (Or cookies, or brownies, or cupcakes...or really any sweets besides ice cream and candy!) She was so sweet thanking people for their birthday wishes and telling everyone she is three. :)
For her party, we celebrated in the morning and guests enjoyed some of her favorite breakfast treats like glazed croissants and bagels. My mom made her a ballet barre (out of PVC piping from Home Depot!) and she was so thrilled by the surprise. She spent the entire party dancing her heart out. (Mostly to songs from the SING movie.)
For the flowers, I wanted something feminine and sweet. The blush and peach blooms she and I picked out felt so ruffly and delicate- definitely something that reminded me of the ballet. We had a tea party and ballet coloring, but the big hit was playing Pin the Tutu on the Ballerina. My mom made one to coordinate with her invite and everyone kept asking to take another turn!
We had white cupcakes, some with strawberry buttercream frosting, others with peach; all topped with vintage ballerina figurines. The ballet slipper cookies were my favorite! They were so sweet hanging from the mini ballet barre (another one her Gigi made!) Olivia loved the pink and peach tutu cookies, and the meringues were a fun addition to the sweets table for a fluffy, twirling tutu feel. Since she doesn't like cake, and she asked if she could have gummi bears for her special birthday treat. Stawberry, peach, and pineapple gummy bears it was! Our guests sang Happy Birthday while she performed an impromptu dance for everyone- it was a moment I will never forget!
We are so incredibly grateful to have been able to celebrate our sweet girl surrounded by so many of our family and friends. We are so blessed she is loved so well by so many. It really felt like the perfect party for our ballerina, and she told us afterwards she "loves her birthday!" and had "a really, really happy birthday."
It hardly seems possible my girl is three! She is so sweet and thoughtful. So hilarious and curious. She has a memory like no one else I've ever met, and she amazes me every day. She is so smart and also silly. She is so talkative and inquisitive with such an imagination. My focused, determined, little ballerina. The world is her stage and I am so proud of who my beautiful little girl is. It hardly seems possible but somehow each day I wake up and love her even more than the last. She is so much more than I ever dreamed of and I can hardly wait to see what's in store for us this next year! xoxo
Beaded Shrug // Tutu // Shoes // Ballet Slippers // Fringe Garland // Paper Plates // Balloons // Banner Sign // Paper Decals // Play Table // Dollhouse (No longer available, love this one too.)
Cookies, Cupcakes, and Meringues // Gummy Bears // Flowers // Paper Lanterns
Invitations- My mom designed these, using paper and envelopes from Paper Source. She also made the Pin the Tutu Game and Ballet Barres. She really can make anything. :)
